On behalf of all UCSF leadership, I am writing to reinforce that the University upholds the rights of individuals to worship as they choose and without fear. Here at UCSF, religious freedom is inherent in our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I remind you that professional counseling and confidential services are available to members of our UCSF community who are experiencing distress:

Yesterday, UCSF was challenged once again with a labor action. The disruptions caused by these strikes, no matter the duration, are significant and affect the entire UCSF community – faculty, staff, trainees, students, visitors, and especially our patients.

At UCSF Health, no new patient appointments were added for our ambulatory clinics, while more than 800 appointments, including cancer infusion treatments, were rescheduled. Selected surgeries also were rescheduled. For those patients who remained in our hospitals or received outpatient services, it was disconcerting to receive care in an environment like the one we experienced yesterday.

The strike ended early this morning, and we send our thanks to each of you who came to work, as well as to every person who planned and helped UCSF through this trying time. We also express our appreciation to the volunteers and replacement workers who enabled UCSF to continue providing services across the campus and UCSF Health.

No matter your individual opinion about strikes, everyone in the UCSF family is bonded together by our PRIDE Values: professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence and our shared mission of advancing health worldwide. We are grateful for the professionalism that was displayed throughout this period, including by those in our UCSF family who chose to participate in the strike.

As we come together today and beyond in fulfillment of UCSF's mission, we ask that everyone recommit to these values. At UCSF, there will always be far more that unites us than can ever divide us.

Along with the leaders at the other UC campuses and the UC Office of the...

Once again, we are stunned and saddened by the loss of life and injuries resulting from a targeted act of hatred and gun violence. Late last night, the world learned that 49 people had been confirmed dead and many seriously injured due to a terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday prayers.

Today, we stand in solidarity and sympathy with the Muslim community, here and elsewhere, and strongly condemn this senseless act of hatred and violence. Every act of hatred is a threat to each one of us and to our communities.

Here at UCSF, religious freedom is inherent in our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We also recognize that Muslims in our community, as well as others, may feel a renewed sense of fear and vulnerability in the wake of this hateful attack.

UCSF Health Spiritual Care Services invites the UCSF community to a time of remembrance and to offer care and support to one another on Monday, March 18, 12:30-1:00 p.m.

Parnassus Campus: Ground Floor Meditation Room, next to the Information Desk in the Moffitt-Long Hospital lobby

We are truly disheartened to learn of the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Trump Administration’s policy to bar most transgender people from serving in the military. The vote lifts two injunctions that have been in place while challenges to the ban are proceeding through the lower courts. Given this and other recent events, many transgender and gender non-binary people have expressed concerns about their general safety and inclusion.

At UCSF, we unequivocally support our transgender students, staff, faculty, and trainees, and we reaffirm our long-standing commitment to all gender identities. We see you, we value you, and we recognize your important contributions to our campus.

The UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach is coordinating across the campus to seek additional ways to create an inclusive, welcoming, and safe climate for all. UCSF has assembled a Task Force to implement Senate Bill 179, the Gender Recognition Act, which made California the second state to adopt a non-binary gender marker on state documents. This legislation, effective January 1, 2019, makes it easier for transgender people who live in California to obtain identity documents that reflect their gender.

As the year comes to a close, I send my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your drive, passion, and dedication on behalf of UCSF and the students, patients, and communities that we are privileged to serve.

Reflecting on 2018, I remain heartened by our community’s commitment to build a better world. I deeply appreciate your continued willingness to face challenges with determination and your eagerness to seize opportunities to fulfill our mission of advancing health worldwide.

Whatever your role at UCSF, each of us can take great pride in our collective achievements over the year. Your contributions to biomedical research, patient care, and graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions are making a positive difference in the lives of others. Read about our work and accomplishments in the UCSF 2018 Year in Review.

On behalf of the UCSF leadership team, we send our warmest wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season and a healthy new year.

After almost two weeks of extremely poor air quality as a result of the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, the rain forecasted to improve air quality throughout the Bay Area has arrived.

Sadly, given climate change, the likelihood is very high that California will continue to face wildfires of similar magnitude. My leadership team will use this opportunity to review our response, with the goal of improving how we manage events like this in the future.

Firefighters, first responders, and volunteers involved in the wildfires in Northern and Southern California have exhibited immense heroism, strength, and compassion. I know that you join me in deep gratitude for their unselfish sacrifice and hope that they soon get the relief they need.

Our hearts go out to those whose loved ones have died or are among the missing, as well as to the tens of thousands displaced from their homes. Long after the last ember is extinguished, their needs will continue to be great. It will take months, if not years, to transform neighborhoods from the blackened and smoldering landscape to communities where residents can recover and rebuild.

I appreciate that many of you who are able will volunteer your time and expertise to assist the scores of people who need help. Donations to agencies such as the American Red Cross or the ...

We write today to thank you for your hard work throughout the year and to invite you to attend a staff appreciation holiday breakfast on one of the dates listed below*. These events provide us and other university leaders an opportunity to thank you in person for your contributions.

Yesterday ended with yet another sad, painful, and disturbing tragedy when a gunman opened fire in a bar crowded with college students in Thousand Oaks, California. We learned this morning about the impact and loss of at least 13 lives, including a Ventura County sheriff sergeant and the shooter.

Here at UCSF, we prepare for responding to active shooter situations and offer training in defense skills to UCSF faculty, staff, students, and trainees to use if confronted with similar circumstances. For more information, please go to the UCSF Police Department website.

As guardians of health, we know all too well that gun violence is a public health crisis. Our experience equips us to be effective advocates for the safety of our patients and the communities we serve. Together, our advocacy efforts could result in lifting what amounts to a federal ban on funding research on gun violence.

Please also remember that UCSF provides members of our community access to professional counseling and confidential services in times of sorrow:

I am writing to notify the UCSF Community about Assembly Bill 21 (2017) (AB 21): Access to Higher Education for Every Student and the procedure in regard to possible immigration enforcement at UCSF locations. While AB 21 is fairly recent, it has long been a goal at UCSF to foster a university environment that is safe and welcoming for all members of our community regardless of immigration status.

It is important to note that federal immigration agencies can and do enter campuses for non-enforcement activities, which can include recruitment and activities related to normal immigration visa processing. The procedure and information below relate only to immigration enforcement activities.

Notify the Office of Legal Affairs as soon as possible if you are advised that an immigration officer is expected to enter, will...

The fabric of our nation has once again been frayed. Today, we struggle to comprehend what one federal law enforcement official called “the most horrific crime scene I have ever seen” – the carnage resulting from a mass shooting at a temple in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Each day, every one of us at UCSF comes to campus driven by a desire to heal and to improve the quality of life in our communities, our country, and around the globe. What are we to do in the wake of wanton acts of violence that leave our communities in pain?

We grieve for lives lost too soon. We pause in silence to give strength to the brokenhearted. We take a little extra time to tell our friends and colleagues that they are important to us. And we find solace in knowing that all of us, collectively, are committed to lessening the pain and suffering in the world through caring, healing, learning, and discovery.

Please remember that members of our community have access to professional counseling and confidential services: